2011 in Questions

As I age, the more I come to understand tempus fugit only I like to reflect on ‘time flees’ instead of ‘time flies’ as fleeing implies running away from something only time is running a marathon and is quickly putting miles between all of us. 2011 was a great year, one that felt of transition and waiting for things to happen. New experiences and great love made 2011. 

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
Gave birth, which is to date the greatest albeit most intense exercise of the mind body connection and meditation I have ever gone through.
Learned how to take care of a newborn. I am glad I don’t really remember those first few weeks.
Fall in love even more with my fiancé and son.
Navigated the dangerous line of mother, worker, lover, friend and sleeper while finishing my last year of college. Honestly, I am just happy I completed my 5 UNM and 2 correspondence classes for this semester.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Last year I was pregnant and had a baby so my resolutions included eating more ice chips and taking naps. This year I have decided to forgo the formal resolutions and have thoughtfully chosen a word that will be my immediate focus.
Concentration. This is what I am going to work on.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

2011 was a busy baby year! Beside myself, I have seen all my birth center friends give birth, Kathy, Kat, Kathryn, Vanessa, Jessica and a handful of Facebook friends. So many beautiful babies!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully

5. What countries did you visit?
2011 was a deplorable travel year. I only left New Mexico once when we drove to Austin, Texas to visit Melissa and go to Ikea where I went into a nesting frenzy.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
Sleep! No really, sleep. Everyone’s myself included.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
July 11- my due date where I was at work and not having a baby
July 14-16 walking many miles in the July heat by a ditch to get this baby out! Chick fil a in labor, walking Cottonwood Mall, Pei Wei, Despicable Me, Dar a Luz and baby.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Finishing three semesters at UNM for my undergrad degrees. I didn’t drop a class and my lowest grade is a C+ (I blame the fickle Italian!) and I got 6 A’s and a few B’s. Overall good job!

9. What was your biggest failure?
Losing my temper and not paying attention to the bigger picture of the journey.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Bout of gross stomach flu, an ass kicking migraine and pregnancy related maladies.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

·      Bedroom furniture from Ikea giving us a proper space to live in and learn to be parents

·      MacBook for llama

·      Baby Legs

12. Where did most of your money go?

·      Car payments, debt, baby related money, Dar a Luz for the birth.

13. What did you get really excited about?
Meeting friend’s babies and birth in general

14. What song will always remind you of 2011?
“Beautiful Boy” by John Lennon. It was the first song we played after Archer was born.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

– happier or sadder? happier
– thinner or fatter? Fatter but I’m still working on the baby weight
– richer or poorer? Same but 2012 is going to be a more conscious year

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Slept, read more books I wanted to read and took more pictures.

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Homework, Facebook and eating crap

18. How did you spend Christmas?
In Albuquerque going to see family in town.

19. What was your favorite TV program?
True Blood was high on that list. It’s a mixture of the last trimester and strange storyline that makes it stand out.

20. What were your favorite books of the year?
The Hunger Games trilogy so far, but the movie is going to come out in 2012 so watch out for the band wagon.

21. What was your favorite music from this year?

I have curated some complex Pandora stations that I listen to daily. Standouts include Carla Bruni, Ellie Golding, Lily Allen and Adele.

22. What were your favorite films of the year?
Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part II and Bridesmaids

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 8 months pregnant but I went to the neurologist for llama, had a couples massage and went to PF Changs for dinner with Melissa, Liz, Jessie, Krissy, llama, Ashley and myself. Overall a great birthday!

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Going through with my birth plan: no drugs, no IV and free movement.

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
What would ever go around the preggo heft and then what would fit around the post-preggo aftermath. 2012 will be better in this area.

26. What kept you sane?
Llama hands down. He talked me down from the scary what if pregnancy ledge many, many times.

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.


Anything good is worth the wait. Love will always prevail. Never underestimate the value of a good night’s sleep.

Archer 1 Month

Dear Archer,

     Not a day goes by that my mind is boggled that you are here and I can call you by your name. For 40 long weeks and 5 days, you were an abstract concept that was present and felt but couldn’t be touched, and now that you are here I still find myself waiting to wake up from this dream. However you are real and are not a spector and had anyone told me how my life would be changed forever I don’t think I could or would have believed them. This month has been a steep learning curve for both of us. Oy, I don’t even know where to begin.

     Nursing has been both easy and hard from hour one. You latch like a champ when you are not screaming at 5 am when my boobs are so full of milk and all I want you to do is please latch and make them deflate a little. You like your boobs a little squishy and mine are not that at 5 am. Nipple confusion has also not been a problem as I went back to work a week ago to preserve my sanity and you can bounce between bottle and boob like a seasoned pro although you vastly prefer the boob. You also have a love of the green binki as your oral fixation is still going strong as it was in the womb. Breastfeeding is hard and challenging but worth every time we sit down on the couch topless with the Boppy and watch TV and play Words With Friends on the iPhone, it makes me feel close to you.

     This month was a lot of firsts as well as you had your Bris at your Aunt Crystal’s house. It was close family and friends with the Mohl and Cantor from Congregation Albert. Even before you were born I fretted many nights thinking how much pain you were going to be in when you go circumcised and how I wondered if we were doing the right thing. However, you handled the entire thing way better than your father and I did barely shedding a tear while it was happening on the coffee table. Even Dr. Robinson remarked how well you took it although your Grandma Rosalie feed you enough wine to get you drunk at 7 days old and leave your trouty lips purple for a few days after. I cried the entire ceremony and your father was a lighter shade of pale, but it was beautiful to welcome you into the Jewish faith and share the words that Jews across the world hear with those who weren’t familiar with this tradition.

     This month I also learned that you cannot tolerate any kind of dairy in my milk without projectile vomiting all day over everyone who holds you. So out are the cheese, milk, butter, chocolate, yogurt and any other thing with dairy in it. Do you know how hard it is to eat a baked potato without butter and sour cream? It’s hard but I guess this just starts one of many sacrifices I am going to make for you, plus I feel good off of the diary so it’s win-win all around.

     Last week you started smiling and it melts everyone’s heart when you do it. You can also hold your little bottles with your hands when the timing is just right which makes everyone, including your mother, think that you are a genius. This month you really fit into your cloth diapers, which make your little butt look so cute. Your umbilical cord also fell off around 2 weeks old and onto the floor. We couldn’t find the small shriveled thing, but when we did we choose not to save it as it grossed everyone out, I hope you don’t mind.

     Can we talk about how you pee on everyone and everything? Oy! You have gotten Noni, your dad, Molly and myself a good number of times not to mention the walls! You are a peeing machine to say the least. It is a good thing you love taking baths because between the peeing and smelling like milk farts, you get a bath at night or else people would think you are a well dressed smelly baby and nobody wants that.

      This month also marked the first time you were watched by Grandma Rosalie at her house. She loved every minute of it and when I went to pick you up she wouldn’t let me touch you! Your cousins Anthony and Aaron were there and fell even more in love with you than they already were. When I took you home you did smell like a bad Indian restaurant like an off curry of some sort so a good bad was definitely in order when you got home. Although I cried in my car when your dad loaded you up and drove off, I know she loves you and is happy to have you even when it is hard for me to let you go.

Likes: The birds on your baby swing, being swaddled, the white sound app on my phone being held by everyone, football/spider monkey hold and farting/sharting

Dislikes: The carseat, napping, wet diapers and being hot a sweaty.

Goals for next month: better napping habits and holding your head up

Baby Archer you have brought a light into our lives that we never knew was missing, we are thankful you are here everyday even when you are screaming your blonde little head off like you are doing right now.

Love,

Me your Mom 

Target Chairs

So yea the crazy dreams continue. Last night it was llama going on about this chair he wanted to buy at target. Sounds boring I know, but my entire dream was him yaking my ear off about that damn chair. I woke up at 5:30 am and basically yelled at him next to me for keeping me up all night about that stupid chair. Unwarranted I know but it made me feel better.